[C38] The Catalina Smile

[S. Orton]

Our boat is an '85 and is in So Cal- no  winters.  The purchasing survey in 
'97 did not show a smile and two years later a smile appeared after haul out 
at which I was clueless as to the proper method of "on the hard support". 
The cradle was ok , but the keel was supported near the aft end. The yard 
said all Catalina's have that smile- don't worry about it.  Two years later 
at the haul out the smile grew and some of the fiberglass and fairing 
material at the smile was literally rotten and smelled rotten.  The smile 
ran halfway back along the keel stub.  We made about 5-8 templates, ground 
out the complete stub to keel mating profile all the way around exposing 
bare lead.  The grinding was tapered from the mating profile a good 3-4 
inches up and down.  I don't remember exactly the depth of material that was 
removed at the joint, but it was considerable- 1/4 to 1/2 inch.  It took 
considerable amount of heat to dry area, before new material could be 
applied.  The rotten material removed was a combination of fiberglass and 
fairing material.  When the mating surface was dry, we caulked any gaps with 
epoxie and glass. The new material was layer after layer of  glass cloth and 
West System epoxie- The last few coats was epoxie thickened with silica. 
Applied the templates and sand to original faired surface.  The job took 4-5 
days.  The smile repair was done six years ago and has not reappeared.  But 
when the boat is hauled now, I am telling the yard exactly where to put the 
keel support- as far forward as possible with no supports at the aft portion 
of the keel.

Steve Orton
Santa Susanna #304

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles" <charles at finn.ws>
To: "Catalina 38 Listserve" <listserve at catalina38.org>
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 9:01 AM
Subject: [C38] The Catalina Smile


> Catalina says the infamous "smile" many of us have discovered on our
> boats is due to improper positioning on our cradles when the boat is out
> of the water.  I have fixed (by grinding, filling, gelcoating and
> painting) my smile three times before yearly spring launching.... only
> to have it be there when I haul the boat in the fall.  This does not
> rule out what Catalina says as it could be the keel stabilizing after a
> winter of compression.  I do know it is not due to loose keel bolts as I
> have routinely gone through the rather difficult process of tightening
> (never found a loose one).  I also know the smile appears on other
> Catalina models as I have seen it many times here in the north where we
> all have to haul for the winter.
> Regarding repairs on the smile.  While I have done this three times and
> will probably continue, I do wonder if I am sealing moisture into the
> repair and if this is causing even more of a problem when it freezes.
> Any comments?
>
> Charles Finn
> Mighty Quinn #114
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: listserve-bounces at catalina38.org
>> [mailto:listserve-bounces at catalina38.org] On Behalf Of David L Ryan
>> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 6:26 PM
>> To: Catalina 38 Listserve
>> Subject: [C38] Keel Stub Wood Removal?
>>
>> I've been trying to further research this fix without too much
>> success. Perhaps you all can help.
>>
>> Is procedure recommended for all Catalina 38s, or is it only
>> recommended when a boat exhibits symptoms?
>>
>> If so, what are the symptoms? The "catalina smile"? Others?
>>
>> Who has had the fix done to their boat? Has anyone done it
>> themselves? Any advice or cautions? Did the procedure correct the
>> problem?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Listserve mailing list
>> Listserve at catalina38.org
>> http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Listserve mailing list
>> Listserve at catalina38.org
>> http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Listserve mailing list
> Listserve at catalina38.org
> http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org